


promises made from stardust

by stephenssupreme



Category: Doctor Strange (2016), Iron Man (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, M/M, Mutual Pining, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-11
Updated: 2019-03-22
Packaged: 2019-10-08 11:27:51
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17385629
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stephenssupreme/pseuds/stephenssupreme
Summary: Tony Stark lost everyone he cared about when Thanos eradicated half the world, however, one voice manages to find him again.





	1. Chapter 1

A night where Tony managed to get a good few hours sleep was a rare one so being awoken from his unlikely slumber didn’t come too kindly to the man. Sitting up in his empty bed, the tired man rubbed his dark eyes, groaning as he tried to figure out what awoke him.

 

Music…

 

It had been coming from downstairs, the trail ends of The Clash playing as it soon ran into silence. Perhaps it was just a dream that woke him up? No. No, a new song had started up; one he instantly recognised. The opening to Smalltown Boy couldn’t be mixed up with any other song.

 

Tony slept with his chest piece on ever since his encounter with Thanos - he had to be prepared for anything after having lost almost everyone. Part of him even wondered if it worth it removing the arc reactor from his heart seeing as he wore the alternative constantly these days. _Health. It was for your health, Tony._ Was what he kept telling himself. He continued saying this to himself as he climbed out of bed, his fingertips gently running across the metallic structure as he walked barefoot towards his door. Whereas he was trying to be as quiet as he could, the intruder downstairs certainly wasn’t playing it down - he could hear them softly mumbling along with the words of the song.

 

 _“Fuck it!”_ Hissed Tony through gritted teeth, slamming his palm against the powersource of his suit, the nanotech forming across his body as he stormed to the landing of his stairs, ready to face whatever was down there. Whatever sick person thought this was an okay joke. “Show yourself!” He demanded as the suit’s helmet covered his face, the eyes of it glowing a blinding white.

 

“Stand down, Stark… I was merely trying to prepare you,” spoke a familiar voice. “I suggest we bypass the hostility for I don’t have much time.” It was then that a ghostly figure floated out from behind a doorway causing Tony to retract his helmet in an instant.

 

“Stephen…” He was in disbelief. He saw the Doctor die right there in front of him… _For_ him. “What is this?” He couldn’t help but worry about it being a dream or a distasteful prank. Of course he assumed Stephen could easily do things like create an astral form but there was one catch with that - he needed to be alive. He couldn't be alive. He wasn’t.

 

“It really is me, Tony. To prove it…” The image of the sorcerer glided over to a large window, side-on to Tony as he said: “ _I know you still owe me a kiss…_ ”

 

* * *

  
They had been on the ship for well over six hours now: Tony, Stephen and Peter. Peter had resulted to creating a hammock out of his webs, hung from two of the tall beams that kept the vessel together. Resting up there, the young man tried to keep his mind off the terrors that could lie ahead of them all. Meanwhile, Stephen and Tony were sat down on the steps of one of the lower floors, not really saying much at first until Tony quietly pointed out: “you’re bleeding again…” He pointed at the gash on the side of Strange’s temple, half of it dry and clotted now, the top of it still occasionally weeping.

 

“It’ll be fine,” he replied admently, trailing off as he quietly whispered, “thank you, though.” Pulling a clean cloth from thin air, the sorcerer gently dabbed it against his wound, hissing as he did so due to his shaking hands, he accidentally touched his head a little harder than he had expected to.

 

“Here, let me.” Without waiting for an answer, Tony reached up and took the cloth from him, helping to clean the blood up as gently as he could before handing it back to the man. “You really weren’t joking when you said you don’t in teams much, huh?” Although it was a question, Stephen only nodded, not giving much of a response. “A little attachment isn’t going to kill you, you know.”

 

“Oh I know that,” Stephen said quite bluntly, forcing a fake smile of sorts. “It only kills those around me, that’s all.”

 

“Hey! Hey… Don’t go around acting as if you’re more righteous because you don’t give others the time of day. What’s the real reason, huh? You can tell me because going by what we’re about to encounter, we might just both die after this conversation.”

 

“The truth?” He asked, raising an eyebrow, considering telling a lie but deciding against it in the end. Tony was right. This could be one of the last conversations he’d have with another human adult before the inevitable. “Okay. I’ll tell you.” “In the past I wasn’t a pleasant guy to be around. I thought I was but looking back, I clearly wasn’t. I’m sure that resonates with you?”

 

Tony glared at the man for a moment before softening his features. He was right. “Mm. Perhaps.”

 

“Yes, well, now I am aware of that and I don’t want to be that asshole again. I’d rather control the situation by cutting it off at the beginning than risk falling back into old ways.”

 

A deep revelation. A deep revelation that truly was… Putting his hand on Stephen’s shoulder, Tony squeezed it gently, looking him in the eye.

 

“Stephen, buddy… I’m pretty damn sure if someone doesn’t like your company, they’ll fucking tell you.” He laughed at that, trying to make out that Stephen’s worries weren’t even worries at all. It was stupidity in all honesty. “For an intelligent man, you really can be dumb sometimes.”

 

“But they stuck around before--”

 

“Because you were stupid rich back then. _We_ were stupid rich. Steve, you gotta learn to leave the past behind you when the time calls.”

 

“ _Stephen_. But… You make a point. Dare I say I was almost intrigued by you then?”

 

“Keep saying it, Doc. Like music to my ears.” They both laughed at that, a weight being taken off their shoulders, both men suddenly more comfortable around each other. For the next few hours, they shared stories from their youth but also information about what they did now. Stephen didn’t know too much about technology compared to Tony but he listened to him as he explained how he came up with the nanotech suit and how it could be used to save lives if only the UN would allow medical trials. That was a predicament Stephen knew all too well about given his past as a Neurosurgeon. Strange also shared his story about finding Kamar-Taj and all that he learned there. Wanting to show off a little, he steadied himself where they sat and allowed his astral form to break free from his physical form and stare Tony down.

 

“You’ve gotta admit this is cool.” He said with a smirk, floating in front of the man he would now consider his friend.

 

“ _Dare I say I’m almost intrigued by you,_ ” Tony mumbled, carefully mocking what Stephen had said earlier. The pair smiled adoringly for a few seconds, a shift in their dynamics starting to form. Escaping the tension, Stephen’s astral form suddenly reverted back to his body, the man gasping as he came back to true human consciousness.

 

“We… Shouldn’t.” He voiced, glancing away from Tony, not having to say the exact words since they both knew what they shouldn’t be doing. Flirting? Seriously? “Given our likelihood of dying anytime soon…”

 

“We just save it until we survive then, right, Strange?”

 

“You’ll owe me one hell of a kiss if we do,” the sorcerer remarked, half jokingly, unaware of the fact that only ten minutes later, they would begin their crash decent onto Titan. Unaware that _he_ would be the one to ‘die’ while the other man lived.

 

* * *

 

 

Tony blinked. _You still owe me a kiss._ It was true. Stephen was there right in front of him and he couldn’t believe his eyes, even rubbing them harshly, expecting to be stood there alone again. However, when he looked again, the sorcerer was still there, now looking at him with a pitiful look in his eyes.

 

Tony gulped.

 

“How are you even here, Stephen… Where are the others?” To get the words out was hard enough but to look at Strange’s astral form as he asked this, it was heart wrenching. Dizzy with disbelief, the man slumped down onto the floor, his suit of armour disappearing as he touched the ground. Vulnerable in every sense of the word.

 

“I’m not _here_ per se,” explained Stephen, gliding over to sit beside Tony, wishing he could hold the man. Reassure him. “I, along with all the others, am trapped within the confines of the soul stone. There’s no way in or out… At least physically, that is.” He looked down at his lap, seeing a blue tinted image of the floor beneath him. “I haven’t come here to beg for your help or demand something has to be done. Frankly, I don’t even have any information other than what I just said that would help you. I just… I needed to see you again. I needed to see if you were okay.”

 

“I’m not.” He admitted bluntly, but there was a smile on Tony’s face as he looked up Stephen; “but thank you for coming. If I could, I would definitely pay up on that kiss by the way.” He let out a short, sweet sigh before turning his head to look ahead of him. “So, soul stone right?”

 

He nodded.

 

“That means the stone must still be somewhere? Opinion was, the stones all got destroyed by the impact. Surely if they got destroyed, you wouldn’t be trapped in there?”

 

“I’m not sure. Perhaps we’re trapped in its essence? I fear science cannot explain this one. Though! Maybe you are right? Maybe the stone is still around. Any leads on Thanos?”

 

“None.”

 

“Oh, well-” Stephen was cut off by Tony’s words though.

 

“Can we not talk about it? You said you have no news and neither do I. Tell me that story about those, uh, those giant lizard people, again. Please.” He just wanted a moment in his life since the eradication where he wasn’t alone. Hearing Stephen’s voice was a comfort.

 

And so Stephen told him the story - one of the stories he had told him while on their diversion to  planet of Titan. In no way was it a happy story, in fact, it was quite bloody but there was humour in the tale and it was all worth repeating once Stephen saw Tony laugh a little, creases on the corners of his eyes as he smiled. His dark eyes even lit up, Tony tilting his head as he glanced at Stephen, instinctively moving his hand to rest on the man’s leg.

 

It didn’t though. It passed straight though and hit the floor. His smile was now a long forgotten memory, nothing but disappointment reigning his features.

  


“I'm sorry…” Muttered the sorcerer, gazing down at the hand that had cut through him. “I promise next time I see you, I will be here. Properly.” It was a bold promise to make given the difficult situation he was in. It just meant it could be a while until their next meeting, that was all. “I should probably make my way back - I'm not sure how long I can maintain an astral form across two different planes of existence.”

 

Reluctantly, Tony nodded at that, biting down hard on the inside of his mouth to stop himself from showing any kind of upset in front of him. “You will be back though, right?” He asked, pulling his hand back to himself, digging his nails into the knuckles of the opposite hand - another way to stop himself from showing emotion, to stop his hands from trembling and to calm an upcoming anxiety attack.

 

“Of course.” Stephen smiled but Tony could see in his eyes that he wasn't even sure himself. He didn't question the man though, both men silently agreeing to not pry into whatever the other man was thinking right now. So before much else could be said, Stephen's form depleted into an empty nothingness, not a trace of his presence left behind. Only the promise he made to one of the loneliest men on Earth.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly not sure if this will be part of something bigger or simply a sad one shot, but either way, i really loved writting this !! (update!! i continued writing lmao)


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony seeks help after keeping Stephen's reappearance a secret for so long...

Tony hadn’t stopped thinking about that night. It had been over a year by this point and he started to believe that what he saw was simply a dream and a figment of his imagination. Perhaps Stephen and all the others that went with him were truly gone forever. That being said, it wasn’t as if Tony had just been sat there doing nothing to help the cause to return reality back to what it was. In fact, he – along with the remaining Avengers – had been meeting on an almost daily basis, discussing what could be done. Experiments were suggested and vetoed, expeditions to anywhere and nowhere thought about yet never taking place. Not once in these meetings did Tony bring up the fact Stephen visited him, though: truth be told, he wasn’t prepared to be mocked about it.

 

One person he felt bad about not telling was Wong, however. He, out of everyone, deserved to know the truth and he would also be the only person to have faith in what Tony was saying.

 

So, after what was months of weighing up the options, Tony found himself at the door of New York’s Sanctum, reaching up to ring the doorbell. No sound rang out, but he could hear movement inside and soon enough the door opened, Wong stood on the other side wearing his smart burgundy robes, arms crossed over his chest.

“Took you long enough to consult me for my assistance,” Wong stated nonchalantly, turning his back on Tony, expecting him to follow him inside. He did, of course, needing to explain so much to this man.

“That’s… Not actually why I’m here. I’m here about-“

“Stephen? I already assumed that. While you’ve been busy having political meetups, I’ve been here at the Sanctum, tracing anything out of the ordinary when it comes to dimensional shifts. Which, is surprisingly a lot of work after half of the universe simply… Disappears.” The mystic stopped in his tracks, turning to face Tony, his eyes cold and heavy. “I noticed _someone_ was where he shouldn’t be. Existed when his existence was improbable.” Wong gestured for Tony to sit down in the chair opposite him, letting the man talk for a moment.

 

“You mean… You knew Stephen had come back to Earth? Why didn’t you just come and talk to me?”

“The same could be said for you, Stark, correct? Besides, even though I knew of his _slight return,_  I did not know where or why he was here. I assumed the Avengers at first but after months of not hearing a word, I started to doubt my initial thought. I told myself that unless an Avenger comes here to me, I must be mistaken. Then… You arrive with a terrible look of guilt on your face. It fits.” Explained Wong, holding his hands together on his lap, looking rather calm despite the nature of their conversation. “So… Tell me what happened.”

 

And so, Tony told his story, skipping over the more intimate parts since he did not deem them to be important in saving the people they lost. He explained how Stephen came to him in his astral form and yet had no news of where they were exactly. It was more so a message of ‘we are still alive’.

“I started to believe it was a dream,” he admitted, his head hanging low as he let out a sigh. “He told me that next time he returns he’ll really be here, not just in an astral form but I’m beginning to think that isn’t possible.”

“It is possible, Tony, but highly improbable. Perhaps the other way around is more probable though?”

Tony leaned in closer, his eyes wide with hope for the first time in months. “What are you suggesting? Anything, I’ll do anything.”

“I cannot promise success but… Maybe I can open up a doorway that leads to his plane of existence. Mind you, it will take the power of all the mystics of Kamar-Taj to open such a doorway so none of us will be able to go in with you. In fact, even with all that power, such a feat will only allow one person to walk through.” It was a large task and even Wong himself looked hesitant to suggest this idea.

“I’ll do it. Wong, even if it just gives us some insight to where they are, it needs to be done.”

“I can’t promise I’ll be able to get you back alive from there, though. Are you sure?” Who was he kidding… It was a known fact that Tony Stark would always risk his own life to save others. A selfless trait, yes, but an incredibly dangerous one that Wong didn’t exactly agree with. Tony was similar to Stephen in that sense, honestly. Wong never managed to sway Stephen's opinion on mortality so he doubted he'd be able to achieve that with Tony either.

“I’m sure.”

“Okay. We start the ritual tonight, there is no time to lose. I suggest you say goodbye to your friends just in case the worst happens.”

 

* * *

 

 

Stood in the largest courtyard of Kamar-Taj, Tony was surrounded by mystics from every walk of life, no one at all saying a word. He wasn’t sure if they were doing this to simply save Stephen or to save humanity as a whole but either way, it didn’t matter. They were all risking their lives just like was and at this moment in time, there wouldn’t be any other group he trusted more with this task.

“Earth has been missing a Sorcerer Supreme for too long now and for too long we denied Stephen of this title. If you find him, Tony Stark, tell him he has the blessings of the Ancient One and every one of us to take the title of Sorcerer Supreme. It may be the key to humanity’s survival.” It was Wong who said this, all the other students bowing their heads in agreement. It was all so dreadfully serious and normally, Tony would crack a joke to ease the tension. Today was not one of those days though, he just wanted to get it over and done with.

“Understood. And Wong, if I don’t come back… Do not take the blame. Do not admit association in my disappearance. The world doesn’t know much of magic yet and the last thing they need is to be scared of it. That is all I ask of _you_.” Tony glanced over to the man, not paying attention to anyone else, just wanting to know his request was honoured. All he got in return was a gentle nod and he had a feeling he’d be rude to ask for anything more than that. “Right! Uh… Guess we should get some abracadabra going then?” And there was the classic Tony Stark sense of humour, making one last appearance on Earth.

 

Of course no one laughed at his joke, however, it did get things going, everyone around him dropping to one knee as they raised their hands up to begin the incantation. Latin derived words were chanted in chorus as their hands moved intricately to create glowing shapes and symbols that Tony did not recognise.

“Think about Stephen!” Wong called out, adding; “the destination is whatever you wish it to be. Doctor Stephen Strange, Sorcerer Supreme is our destination!”

 

Tony closed his eyes tightly, every thought in his mind consisting of Stephen, memories from before the snap and also memories of their night together. He was so caught up in his thoughts in fact, that he didn’t realise the spell was complete until the silence around him truly settled in. As he opened his eyes once more, he was shocked to see the people around him frozen in place, their faces pointing up to the sky, their eyes filled with what looked like galaxies. Right before him stood a portal, though this one wasn’t the usual golden colour Tony had seen before – it looked like a dark plume of black smoke, the edges whipping around slightly in the wind. He could not see the other side, all he saw was a never-ending darkness. This was it… This was the Endgame Stephen had warned him about.

With a deep breath, Tony closed his eyes once more and stepped through.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if you know what the galaxy eyes mean, kudos to you babes ;)


End file.
